Where is that fire hydrant?

The Chief has a good point to make.

Hi, this is Franklin Fire Chief Gary McCarraher with an important request which may affect your safety and that of your neighbors. The heavy snow storms over the past few weeks, have buried most of the more than 1,700 fire hydrants throughout the Town. You may have seen in recent new accounts where buried fire hydrant severely hampered area firefighters in combating building fires. Accordingly we are seeking your help to shovel clear the fire hydrant closest to your home. With your assistance we can insure that firefighters will have unimpeded access to the fire hydrant closest to your home in the event of an emergency. On behalf of the members of the Franklin Fire Department, I would like to thank you for your continued support and have a safe day!

With more snow arriving today, please take some time to find a fire hydrant in your neighborhood and shovel it out. The life or house you save may be your own.



Franklin, MA

How to be truly awesome!

Neil Pasricha's blog 1000 Awesome Things savors life's simple pleasures, from free refills to clean sheets. In this heartfelt talk from TEDxToronto, he reveals the 3 secrets (attitude, awareness, authenticity) to leading a life that's truly awesome.


Good words for your job search! Watch and enjoy!








Now, go out and take the next step to find your best opportunity!


If you can make it to the PodCamp WesternMA in Westfield St Univ, you can practice being awesome there.


If you can go, you should see if you can go for free. The details can be found here

"give us the ability to manage ourselves"

"Everybody in the room was pretty much on the same page," Holliston selectmen Chairman Andy Porter said yesterday. "We are frustrated and want to bring these issues to the forefront."

Medfield Town Administrator Michael Sullivan said officials want to band together to send a message to the state and to the public that changes are necessary to give towns and cities more control in dealing with rising costs.

"We're all facing the same problems, and we are getting very little help from the Legislature," he said.

Sullivan said officials at the meeting were frustrated that they are unable to change health care plans for public employees and retirees to save money. Cities and towns must first negotiate with unions to change plan designs, which officials say makes the job harder.

This topic was also discussed at the Town Council goal setting meeting Wednesday evening. Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here



Franklin, MA

In the News - Eagles Nest

Franklin Zoning Board OKs Eagles Nest changes

by Brian Benson, Daily News staff

Franklin, MA

"the gift of cooking knowledge"

Michelle writes on The Clueless Gardner:

I asked Steve: wouldn’t it make more sense to stock the pantry with staples that are generally cheaper, and more nutritious? And I wandered away toying with the notion of writing recipes to submit to the food pantry along with donations of such staples - because in all likelihood if people aren’t cooking from staples, it is because they don’t know how.

Steve replied: “Michelle, I understand your desire for more of a healthy food request. We are heading in that direction. The Food Pantry instituted a farmer's market on Monday's last year to distribute the fresh produce we were able to obtain. We are working as part of the Community Gardens project to further that effort this year. By re-doing the Food Pantry website, we intend to incorporate a blog which will also feature healthy recipes. You also give me an idea that we can solicit recipes from the community (like yourself) as well as from other food and health writers. Thanks!”

Well, we certainly seem to be thinking along the same lines! So I’ve started writing down recipes. And not just recipes: I’m sticking to explaining the basics. What do you do with dry beans, uncooked rice, fresh kale, whole chicken, and the like? And perhaps just as important: how to you go about managing the often lengthy process of cooking from scratch with a hectic lifestyle in which the chefs may be working multiple jobs and raising children all at once?

You can read her full posting here

You can contribute recipes to Michelle, or send them to me. Via email is best for now.


Franklin, MA

"town leaders need to look at ways to reduce expenses"

Nutting suggested a $20 per sport fee per person added to the normal registration costs, although the amount could change and the fee could be structured differently. He said many local towns charge for field use.

Nutting estimated that the town could gain $100,000 per year to repair fields if the estimated 5,000 people who participate in sports paid a $20 fee.

Town Councilor Stephen Whalen said charging a fee for field maintenance would be a fair balance since the entire town paid for the construction of the fields.

"I think we should do it," Whalen said, adding "in our situation, I think we have to look at things like this."

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here


Participate in the budget priority survey here

Franklin, MA

No books, please

Friends not accepting book donations

by GateHouse Media, Inc.

Hopefully, this is just a temporary situation. It was raised earlier this week according to the discussion at the Town Council meeting Wednesday evening and Jeff Nutting is working to find some space for this effort.

Yes, there is some irony involved. Here is the Library stopping their volunteer group from working to prepare their major fund raiser which provides financial aid to the Library.


Franklin, MA